Charlotte, N.C., June 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brightspeed, the nation’s fourth largest fiber broadband builder focused on empowering more homes with ultrafast, reliable internet, announced that it has been awarded $22.5 million to expand its state-of-the-art fiber broadband network to even more North Carolina residents and small businesses. Brightspeed is already investing to connect nearly 800,000 locations across the state of North Carolina., and the N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) funds will fund the expansion of Brightspeed’s fiber network build to nearly 10,000 more locations in Beaufort, Chatham, Jones, Pamlico, Pasquotank and Pitt counties.
“Here in our home state, we are already making a multi-million-dollar investment to bring high speed internet service to communities in North Carolina where residents previously had limited access to quality high-speed internet services,” said Steve Brewer, Brightspeed director of government affairs and public policy. “There are already more than 170,000 North Carolina families and businesses who have access to Brightspeed Fiber Internet. Now, thanks to this grant funding, we can make our investment go further to give North Carolinians a more reliable, faster option for internet connectivity.”
“The Completing Access to Broadband program creates a collaborative process between counties, the state and internet service providers to quickly launch broadband expansion projects to benefit North Carolina communities,” said NCDIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Jim Weaver. “We appreciate the work Brightspeed is doing to help close our state’s digital divide so more residents can participate in all of today’s crucial online services.”
The CAB program funds and Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants awarded to Brightspeed provide nearly $131 million in funding so far to help connect approximately 70,000 North Carolina households and businesses across 38 counties to its blazing fast network. The GREAT and CAB programs provide matching funds to internet service providers like Brightspeed that may partner with individual North Carolina counties for funding to expand high-speed internet service to unserved and underserved areas of the state.
Brightspeed is investing $2 billion in deploying next-generation fiber-optic technology to build a more reliable, super-fast broadband internet network that will reach more than three million homes and businesses across 20 states. In addition to the company’s multi-million-dollar investment in deploying its fiber broadband network in North Carolina communities, Brightspeed continues to pursue additional state and federal funding to augment its current fiber network build plan to help close the state’s digital divide.
About Brightspeed
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and with assets and associated operations in 20 states, Brightspeed provides broadband and telecommunications services through a network platform capable of serving more than 6.5 million homes and businesses. Our more than 4,000 employees are committed to building a future where more communities benefit from a more connected life, deploying a state-of-the-art fiber network and a customer experience that makes being connected as simple as it should be. For more information, please visit www.brightspeed.com.
